


golden like daylight

by codenametargeter



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Azure Moon Route, M/M, Post-Game, ill-advised duels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28520418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/codenametargeter/pseuds/codenametargeter
Summary: In Dimitri's defense...... he's tired and it's been a long week and maybe Adrestian lords shouldn't insinuate that the king and his shield aren't capable of defending themselves and Fódlan on the field of battle anymore unless they're ready to back that assertion up.Anyways. Sylvain's taking bets and Dorothea brought snacks so it'll be a delightful afternoon for someone at least.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 14
Kudos: 84





	golden like daylight

“No offense, your majesty, but it’s been what? Four? Five years since you’ve taken the field?”

“Oh,” Dorothea said sotto voce. “And here I thought today was going to be boring.”

In Dimitri’s defense, he was tired. It’d been a long week of negotiations and an even longer month before that. Almost a decade had passed since the war ended and they were  _ still _ ironing out some of the creases in this United Fódlan including the occasional rebellion. Peace had this nasty habit of starting to seem achievable for the long term only to vanish again because some lord clung to the past and reared their head. It wasn’t inaccurate to say that it had been more than a few years since Dimitri had seen true combat. His advisors (Felix in particular) had finally won their own prolonged campaign and insisted that Dimitri allow others to handle rebellious elements in his stead. He still trained on a regular basis though, partially as a way to relieve stress. Clearly, it had been too long though.

“I can assure you, Lord Ochs, that I am more than capable of defending both myself and this country when the need arises,” Dimitri said, curling his hand into a fist beneath the table where no one but Felix would notice.

Ochs smiled condescendingly. “I’m sure, Your Majesty. But this is Adrestia. These rebels won’t just bow and scrape like an Alliance lord might.” 

“You lost the war,” Felix snapped, leaning forward. “Get over it.” 

“Your Grace!” said one of the lords halfway down the table in rebuke. 

Both Felix and Ochs ignored him. “I believe it’s also been a year or so since you’ve taken the field as well, Duke Fraldarius.”

There was something glorious about how Felix looked when he was angry. His amber eyes got a singular, furious gleam to them and if Dimitri looked closely enough, he could see the muscles in his arms tense and flex even beneath the layers of clothing they both wore in the name of court appropriate attire in a Faerghan spring. “Try me,” Felix said, voice low and dangerous as he rose to his feet and leaned hard against the table. 

It was then that Dimitri did something for which he really could not be blamed. “What an excellent idea, Felix. I think I might join you,” he said, as he rose to his feet, making everyone else scramble to theirs too which usually he hated but today, seemed to be convenient. The brief sidelong look Felix shot him was enough to express his confusion but he didn’t say anything. Dimitri looked around the room until he found the captain of his guard. “Sir Ashe, the training grounds are usually empty around this time of day, are they not?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Ashe said, doing a good job of hiding his bewilderment about where this was going. 

“Excellent!” Dimitri said with a smile, starting towards the door. “Shall we?”

Ochs, on the other hand, seemed to be both confused and willing to voice it. “I’m afraid I don’t understand, Your Majesty.” Meanwhile, Dorothea apparently had no trouble figuring out what his plans were given how she was whispering something in her wife’s ear that made Ingrid’s eyes go wide. Ochs said,“Shall we… what?” 

“Settle this the Faerghan way.”

“You’re going to fight Dimitri and me obviously,” Felix said with all of his usual grace. (Grace. Ha. He’d have to tell Felix about that one later.) “Unless you think you can’t handle a fight against two people who haven’t been on a battlefield in a year or two.”

The Adrestian was definitely sweating now, tugging at the neck of his doublet as he followed them out the door. “Those hardly seem fair odds. One against two.”

“The invitation is extended to your guard, of course,” Dimitri said. “You brought what? A dozen with you?”

“I… well yes.”

“Good! We’ll start in twenty minutes then,” Dimitri said, using what Sylvain teasingly called his king voice. He was just barely out the door when the council room erupted into chaos behind them. 

Felix lengthened his stride enough to catch up and said quietly, “You know this is a bad idea, right?”

He nodded. “I do, yes.” 

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards. “Just checking.” 

Fifteen minutes was enough for them to both change into something better suited to combat which was a relief because the palace tailors already had enough reasons to roll their eyes skyward given the… damage that has occurred to both his and Felix’s clothing over the years. There was already a crowd gathered in the training grounds by the time they arrived although there’s still a large area at the center clear for the match. Sylvain’s doing, most likely. 

Speaking of which…

There was another far smaller crowd gathered in what appeared to be the Faerghan corner with a few additions. 

“I humbly apologize on behalf of my fellow Adrestians, Your Majesty,” Ferdinand declared at his usual volume. “Such attitudes are not nearly as common to the west as Lord Ochs would have you think.”

“The fault is not yours, Ferdinand,” Dimitri replied, starting to go through a set of warm up stretches. Nearby, Felix did the same except with a scowl on his face. 

Ashe spoke up next, the stress written plainly across his ever youthful face. “Your Majesty, as the head of your guard, I have to ask you to reconsider this. Should Lord Ochs or any of his guard wish to settle a score--”

“That’s what he’s got me for,” Felix cut in, flipping his head upwards as he came out of a stretch that bent him in half. 

“Yes, of course, but it’s going to be thirteen against two,” Ashe said without missing a beat. 

Out of all the faces surrounding them, Dorothea’s was one of the only ones that appeared completely calm and unperturbed. “As if our king and his shield can’t handle something as trivial as that.” She plucked something from the small bag she held in one hand and then extended the bag towards the rest of the group. “Dried fig anyone?” 

Sylvain was the only one to take her up on it. “Dorothea’s right. This is going to be fun!” 

Nudging him in the ribs with her elbow, Ingrid said, “This is serious!” 

Dimitri cleared his throat. “While I appreciate all of your concerns, I believe that we are committed at this point. To withdraw my challenge now would do nothing but prove Lord Ochs correct about my ability to defend this country and my people.”

“And should you--” Ingrid started to say.

“We are  _ not _ going to lose,” Felix said with a glare. 

“I didn’t say you were going to but if--”

Ashe broke in. “Your Majesty, they’re here.” 

Almost as one, everyone in their circle turned to look towards the entrance as Ochs and his guard stalked into the training yard. Dimitri said, “Sylvain, if you would be so kind as to oversee the proceedings?”

“Yeah,” Sylvain said, straightening back up. “Sure thing, Your Majesty.” Turning away, he clapped his hands together and raised his voice, “Alright, who’s ready for a sparring match like none of you have ever seen before!” 

The rest of their friends must have dispersed as well but Dimitri had eyes for no one but Felix which, to be fair, was often true. Felix said, “You’re fighting with a lance, yeah? None of that stupid chivalrous shit?”

Something never changed. “It is our skill in question and our honor at stake here,” Dimitri said lightly. “I wish to offer nothing but my best.” 

Most people would have missed it but he caught the way the corner of Felix’s mouth twitched upwards with amusement right before he tossed a lance to him that Dimitri caught easily with one hand. “Let’s get this over with.” 

Lord Ochs stood by Sylvain at the center of the yard, his guardsmen spread out behind him. “We are here, Your Majesty,” Ochs said as if the words pained him. “As you commanded.” 

This was a serious matter. Dimitri was well aware of that. And yet, he felt lighter than he had in days. He had no wish to fight a war again but a match like this with Felix at his side? It was the closest he’d come to fun since this batch of negotiations had started. 

“I’m assuming no one wants to fight to the death today?” Sylvain said, looking between the two sides. “First blood or a tap out for each person then?” Both Ochs and Dimitri nodded their consent. “Great! Then…” He stepped back out of the way between them. “Have at it.”

Dimitri turned towards Felix and smiled broadly. “Low or high, my shield?”

“You’re not as funny as you think you are,” Felix grumbled more than said, adjusting his grip on his sword.

“High for me it is then,” Dimitri said brightly, both of them turning to face their opponents who fanned out, starting to encircle them. 

Unsurprisingly, Ochs dropped back, letting his soldiers lead the attack. As one, Dimitri and Felix lunged forward, giving the guards no chance to steady and prepare themselves for an attack. They hadn’t had the chance to fight alongside each other much lately, usually having to settle for being one another’s sparring partners after a long day, but there was something about fighting with Felix like this that Dimitri knew could never be replicated. It was like dancing but with firm wood and cold steel in their hands instead of the warmth of a partner’s hand. He did not fret when he could sense someone was striking from his blind side because he knew Felix would be there to block the blow. 

The first bunch were clearly not prepared for this fight and Dimitri almost felt a little bit guilty for hitting one in the gut so hard with the butt of his lance that he sent them flying into one of their fellows, knocking both off their feet into a groaning pile. But then again, he had no intention of losing today and so he took a fraction of a second to readjust his grip on his lance before deflecting an incoming blow and then spinning quickly to deliver a follow up strike of his own. 

Even as he had to bring more of his focus to the fight, he couldn’t help the smile on his face. 

“What are you grinning at?” Felix asked as they ended up close enough for their backs to brush against each other. 

Dimitri felt his smile only grow broader. “It is a beautiful day, Felix. Why shouldn’t I smile?” 

“Fool,” he scoffed before lunging half in front of Dimitri to get in a strike against a guard who thought he had a chance to draw blood. 

_ Your fool _ was what Dimitri wanted to reply with but that would simply have to remain implied for now. Felix was right: there were more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. 

Three swarmed him at once, one slipping past the sweeping reach of his lance with a dagger in their off hand. Flipping his lance, he spun it out in a broad circle, forcing the other two to jump backwards before he dropped it. The closest guard hesitated, clearly confused as to why anyone would throw away their weapon. Conveniently, that worked well with Dimitri’s plan. He grabbed the arm holding the dagger, twisting it backwards at an awkward angle and then punching the man in the face with his other hand, making his nose bleed. Immediately, the guard held up his free hand in surrender. 

There’s no time to rest on his laurels though and so Dimitri used his boot to flip his lance up into the air and into his hand, a showy move he wasn’t usually inclined towards. The crowd seemed to love it though which was how he knew Felix was rolling his eyes at him. Without pausing to check, he struck at the two other guards, using the lance’s natural advantage over their swords. One dodged too slow and got a slice across their cheek for their troubles. The other moved faster but not fast enough nor strong enough to withstand a flurry of blows especially not ones that came with Blaiddyd strength. A part of Dimitri felt guilty for using that strength as these guards were only following their lord’s command. His quarrel was not truly with them. But guilt did not stop him now, especially when he knew all of the injuries he was dealing would mostly heal within a day or two. 

Only four of the guards remained along with Lord Ochs himself. Both sides stepped back from each other, giving everyone a moment to breath. Felix drew towards him, strands of his dark hair that had come loose from his bun matted against his forehead with sweat. Dimitri suspected he hadn’t fared much better. But neither of them sported any blood which meant they continued to hold their own. 

“I’m getting tired,” Felix said loudly enough only for Dimitri to hear, “of that pissant letting others fight for him.”

“He’ll run out of guards soon enough,” Dimitri replied, eyes on their five remaining opponents. “Felix, my l-shield,” he managed to catch himself just in time, “might I request that--”

“He’s yours,” Felix said, hefting his sword and moving forward. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

Dimitri’s only true regret about today so far was that he could not also spectate this match as well as fight it. Felix was as beautiful to watch when he fought as when he danced. There would be other times for that though. For now, they had a duel to finish. 

One guard, bolder than the rest, leapt forward with his sword raised high. Dimitri stepped forward to meet him. This one had apparently learned from watching his fellows though and wasn’t dispatched nearly as easily. He left behind the style and his smile and simply fought. It took one, two, three blows and then a mighty fourth to knock the guard backwards to the ground. Dimitri kept his lance at the ready but after a few moments, the guard merely tapped the ground three times and dropped his head back into the dirt. 

Slowly yet deliberately, Dimitri raised his gaze to meet Lord Ochs’s eyes. “Shall we, my lord?” he said, holding his lance point low. A glance to the right showed that Felix had the remaining three (soon to be two) guards well in hand. 

Judging by the look on Ochs’s face, he seemed to be under no illusions regarding his chances but still he swallowed hard and stepped forward anyways. Ochs made the first strike, high and fast. It was a solid one to be sure but Dimitri blocked it easily enough. He allowed a second and a third before making one of his own. It seemed an adequate amount of politeness especially to a man who’d offered him nothing but rudeness. 

Lord Ochs may have fought in the war but it was clear he was not a warrior and so Dimitri allowed himself the luxury of returning to a few of the more intricate lance moves which he usually would leave for sparring matches with friends. Luckily, Felix was too busy with his own fight to pay him much mind or else Dimitri knew he’d likely roll his eyes over it later. For now though… 

The nobleman’s fighting style was bland, predictable and he favored his right side heavily. There came a point where Dimitri saw how to win the fight in four moves and then he took them: a fast jab, a feint, another hit to put him off balance, and a sweep to the knees to knock him on his rear. Ochs hit the ground, grip on his sword loose, and so Dimitri kicked it away as he placed the tip of his lance to the other man’s throat. “Yield.” 

From his right, he heard a thump followed by a loud swear and then Felix muttered, “Stay down.” 

Dimitri didn’t turn his head to look over though, keeping his eye firmly on Ochs who glared at him. “Yield, my lord,” he said once more as Felix came to stand beside him. A thirteen to two loss was already enough of a blow to the man’s pride. He had no desire to deepen the wound by drawing blood with a flick of his lance. 

“I yield,” Ochs finally said through gritted teeth. 

Immediately, Dimitri pulled his lance away, flipping it so the sharp end was pointed upwards. Slowly, Ochs pushed himself up to one knee to rise when suddenly Felix’s sword was there. “What else?” 

Dimitri frowned. “Felix…”

He wasn’t all that surprised when Felix ignored him. “You lost the fight, Ochs. What. Else.” 

Carefully eyeing the sharp sword point, Ochs leaned back as he pushed himself the rest of the way to his feet. “I offer my humblest apologies for any offense I may have given, Your Majesty. I…” he glanced towards Felix whose face remained impassive. “I was clearly misinformed.” 

Suddenly aware once more that they have an audience for his ill advised duel, Dimitri raised his voice as he said, “An error we hope you will encourage your neighbors not to make.” Ochs nodded and so Dimitri clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to make him wince, smiling all the while. “Then consider your apology accepted, Lord Ochs,” he turned to face the crowd, “and we shall resume discussions tomorrow morning. I believe we’ve had enough excitement for today.” 

The people knew a dismissal when they heard one and Dimitri tried not to let his discomfort at the waves of bows show. Even now after all these years, he wished that people did not feel the need to genuflect like that but at this point, he knew that the only people he had any hope of convincing not to were his friends and all of the Fhirdiad orphans he visited whenever he had the chance. As Ochs slunk away to sulk, Dimitri finally allowed himself to give Felix his full attention and softly said, “Well fought, my love.” 

“They weren’t much of a challenge,” Felix said, shrugging off the compliment. 

“Not everyone can handle fighting three people at once with such ease,” said Dimitri, partially because it was true and mostly because if he was speaking, he couldn’t kiss Felix like he really wanted to do. 

Before Felix could reply, their friends formed a loose circle around them again. “An excellent match indeed, Your Majesty!” Ferdinand proclaimed. “And you as well, Your Grace.” 

“Yes, it was ever so marvelous,” Dorothea said with her winning smile. “And here I was thinking that I’d have to be the entertainment again this trip.” 

Dimitri smiled. “I could never hope to entrance an audience like you, Dorothea.” 

“Charming as always, Your Majesty!” 

Ingrid shook her head with amusement as she handed Felix a cloth to clean his sword with. “No flirting with my wife please.” 

“Flirting is purely recreational with everyone but you, darling,” Dorothea said, pressing her lips to Ingrid’s cheek. 

Judging by the set of his shoulders, Ashe was still a bit ill at ease with the entire situation. “It was certainly well fought, Your Majesty, but maybe we should all agree to not tell Dedue and Mercedes about this when they return from Duscur next month…” 

“Sorry but there is no way Dedue’s not going to end up hearing about this,” Sylvain said as he finally joined them, slinging one arm around Ashe’s shoulders and the other around Felix’s. “Thanks, by the way. I just won twelve gold pieces on that match.”

Dimitri said, “Perhaps you should not tell me that, Sylvain.” 

“Hey if some of your subjects are foolish enough to bet against you, that’s not my--ow!” 

No one would have believed Ingrid if she had tried to pretend innocence at stomping on Sylvain’s foot.

“Leave it to you to make money off of this,” Felix muttered although judging from his countenance, he wasn’t actually all that bothered. 

Sylvain shrugged. “Hey I could’ve made some bets for you too if you’d wanted.” 

The pair continued to bicker but Dimitri paid it no mind, instead taking a moment to look around the circle at his friends. This wasn’t even all of the Blue Lions who had survived the war. How lucky he was that the Professor had drawn so many good souls to them. He just wished more had lived to see this day. 

“Hey,” Felix said, jolting him out of his thoughts. At some point, he’d stopped arguing with Sylvain and stepped half in front of him. His amber eyes met Dimitri’s with a searching intensity. “You with us?” 

“Always,” Dimitri replied. Felix didn’t seem convinced. “I was merely caught up in my own thoughts about how lucky we all are to be here today.” 

“Sap,” said Felix without any real venom behind it. Dimitri merely shrugged. There was no point in denying it.

Dorothea cleared her throat. “Perhaps we should all take advantage of the extra time this afternoon to enjoy the weather and perhaps,” she wrinkled her nose, “change before dinner?” 

This was one of those days when Dimitri considered trying to bestow some sort of noble honors upon Dorothea yet again as their friends began to make their exits, still chattering amongst themselves. 

At last they were left alone in the training yard and there was nothing stopping Dimitri from taking Felix’s face between his hands and kissing him deeply. They were, perhaps, the worst kept secret in Fhirdiad but they both still went through the motions of pretending like they were one. Without hesitation, Felix kissed him back, settling his hands on Dimitri’s hips and drawing him closer and Dimitri happily went. 

“That was a terrible idea,” Felix said once their lips parted although he did not let go.

Dimitri nodded, brushing those sweat soaked strands back from his forehead and cheeks. “It was, yes. But he insulted you.” 

Scoffing, Felix said, “He was mostly insulting you.” 

“Does it matter, Felix? We won.” He kissed him again, briefly this time. “My only regret is that I had not the time to watch you fight. You are most beautiful with a blade in your hand.” 

“You would call me beautiful for simply standing here in the sun.”

“And it would be true then as well.” 

Felix flushed a pretty pink even though he must have been used to hearing such things by now. Dimitri certainly said them any chance he got. “Come on,” Felix said, looking away. “We should get washed up. We both know Dorothea was talking about us.” 

“Just a moment more, Felix,” Dimitri said. “Please.”

“Alright,” Felix said before tilting his face up towards the warm sun again so that Dimitri could kiss him deeply once more. 

For now, they still had peace. 


End file.
